Telangana Assembly Elections 2018: TRS betrayed people on all fronts\, says Sonia Gandhi

Telangana 201

Telangana Assembly Elections 2018: TRS betrayed people on all fronts, says Sonia Gandhi

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, her son and successor Rahul Gandhi and other leaders wave to the crowd during an election rally at Medchal on the outskirts of the Hyderabad on November 23, 2018.

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, her son and successor Rahul Gandhi and other leaders wave to the crowd during an election rally at Medchal on the outskirts of the Hyderabad on November 23, 2018.   | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

more-in
Assembly Election
Telangan

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said the TJS, the TDP and the CPI joined hands with the Congress only to defeat the autocratic rule of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has said that the people of Telangana have been betrayed on their very needs of neellu, nidhulu, niyaamakaalu (rightful share in the river waters, allocation of funds and employment opportunities) by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government during the last four years.

In her maiden visit to Telangana after the formation of the State in 2014, Ms. Gandhi said on November 23 that farmers were still longing for water for their parched lands and ending their lives in distress in spite of tall claims of the TRS dispensation. She likened her visit to Telangana as “a mother’s visit to her child after a long gap”.

In an attempt to strike a cord with the gathering by stoking their disillusionment with the TRS government, Ms. Gandhi said she was pained to see the very bad state of people in their own State as they were being denied of their rightful needs.

Stating that giving statehood to Telangana was a very difficult proposition for the Congress as the party was well aware of the cost to be paid elsewhere, the Congress leader said they had given Telangana only to fulfil the decades-old dream of the people.

However, they had tried to take care of the interests of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh while bifurcating combined Andhra Pradesh including announcing special category status to the residual State, she said. The Congress was still committed to it, she added. “People are pained at not realising the welfare and development they expected with Statehood.”

Attacking the TRS for keeping aside the land acquisition act brought in by the UPA government, Ms. Gandhi said the move had destroyed farmers completely. The TRS government had also failed in implementing schemes such as MGNREGS aimed at ensuring wage work to all those who need it.

“When I used to visit here in the past I used to feel proud about the progress of women SHGs and give their example in other States. However, it’s not visible any more here”, Ms. Gandhi said adding that the TRS rule had destroyed the SHG movement by neglecting it completely. She alleged that TRS government did nothing for betterment of the Dalits, the downtrodden, women and minorities except for the betterment of some families in the government.

Stating that the present election was an opportunity to get rid of such a misrule, she said it was time the Telangana people taught a lesson to the betrayers of Telangana. She asked people to join hands to defeat the TRS by supporting the Congress and its alliance partners.

In his brief address to the impressive gathering later, AICC president Rahul Gandhi said it was a historical rally in every sense as “it’s the beginning of the end of the autocratic rule of TRS”. He assured that the Congress-led People’s Front would fight for the rights of all sections of Telangana as the TRS government had belied them on all its promises.

He stated that the TJS, the TDP and the CPI had joined hands with the Congress only to defeat the autocratic rule of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Earlier, TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, working president A. Revanth Reddy, TJS president M. Kodandaram, TDP leader L. Ramana, CPI leader Chada Venkat Reddy, Congress senior leaders M. Bhatti Vikramarka, Madhu Yaskhi and others spoke at the election rally.